LAST UPDATE | 16 Oct 2022

A BLAZE AT a notorious jail housing political prisoners and anti-government activists in Iran’s capital killed four inmates, the country’s judiciary said today.

Flames and smoke rising from Tehran’s Evin Prison had been widely visible on Saturday evening, as nationwide anti-government protests triggered by the death of a young woman in police custody entered a fifth week.

In online videos, gunshots and explosions could be heard in the area of the prison.

The blaze was extinguished after several hours and no detainees escaped, state media said.

They said the fire broke out after a fight between prisoners, in an apparent attempt to distance the events there from the ongoing protests. Hundreds are being held at Evin, where human rights groups have reported repeated abuses of prisoners.

State media originally reported that nine people were injured but the judiciary website Mizan.news said today that four inmates died of smoke inhalation and 61 others were injured.

It said all four who died were in prison on robbery convictions.

Ten inmates were admitted to hospital, four of them in a serious condition, Mizan reported.

It said some prisoners had tried to escape but failed.

State TV aired video of the fire’s aftermath today, showing scorched walls and ceilings in a room it said was the upper floor of a sewing workshop at the prison.

Tehran Governor Mohsen Mansouri said: “This fire was caused by a fight between some prisoners in a sewing workshop. The workshop was set up to create jobs.”

Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported on Saturday that there were clashes between prisoners in one ward and jail staff, citing a senior security official.

The official said inmates set fire to a warehouse full of jail uniforms, which caused the blaze. He said the “rioters” were separated from the other prisoners to de-escalate the conflict.

Later, Tehran prosecutor Ali Salehi said calm had returned to the prison and that the unrest was not related to the protests which have swept the country for four weeks.

Families of inmates gathered near the prison today hoping for news of their loved ones inside.

Masoumeh, 49, who only gave her first name, said her 19-year-old son was sent to the prison two weeks ago after taking part in the street protests. “I cannot trust news about his health, I need to see him closely,” she said.

Reza, who also gave only his first name, said his brother has been in Evin Prison since last year after he was involved in a violent quarrel. “He did not call us in recent days and following last night’s fire I am here to learn what happened to him,” he said.

The US-based Centre for Human Rights in Iran reported that an “armed conflict” broke out within the prison walls. It said shots were first heard in Ward 7 of the jail. This account could not immediately be corroborated.

Footage of the fire circulated online. Videos showed shots ringing out as plumes of smoke rose into the sky amid the sound of an alarm.

A protest broke out on the street soon afterwards, with many chanting “Death to the Dictator!” – a reference to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – and burning tyres, the videos showed.